


Falcon and Angel Wings

by Screamscaro



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: (but it actually gets very wholesome trust me on this), (some) Violence, AU, AU without Overwatch, F/F, Falconry, Flying Lessons, Homelessness, Military, Soulmates, Switzerland, farm life, finding your soulmate, music inspired, wing fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:47:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22741999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Screamscaro/pseuds/Screamscaro
Summary: Many centuries and millenniums ago, a big part of the human population distinguished themselves from regular humans that we mostly know nowadays. They didn’t look any different, except for the pair of mighty wings growing on their back which gave them the ability to fly.In the early years they built connections and relationships with each other not only through speech but also through unique melodies.For this matter winged people had the most beautiful voices that could be heard by others of their kind over miles. Once one heard the voice that they couldn’t ignore, a person found their mate through a melody, that can then be heard in their head, almost telepathically.-A mysterious voice takes the winged soldier Fareeha on a challenging journey into a whole new life. Giving up everything she has known so far, she is determined to not only find the soulmate she is longing for so badly, but also herself and her place in this world.
Relationships: Fareeha "Pharah" Amari/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler
Comments: 25
Kudos: 69





	1. I can hear you

**Author's Note:**

> Hallihallo my Pharmercy friends!
> 
> I decided to actually write again, sorry it’s been so long but this story has been bugging me inside my head for way too long.
> 
> I saw Frozen 2 and loved the soundtrack. I got so inspired by it that I used the songs to create my own little story with it. Don’t worry, this is not based on Frozen, BUT the songs are.
> 
> With that said, the mysterious voice is the voice of the northwind from the movie so if you’re curious what it sounds like, just look up Aurora’s part!
> 
> Enjoy! :)

The world is a wonderful place, full of life in different kinds of forms. It gave this life a chance to grow, to prosper and to evolve which filled the earth with more diversity than most people even know of. A diversity that not only appeared in the plant and animal kingdom, but also in humanity.  
Many centuries and millenniums ago, a big part of the human population distinguished themselves from regular humans that we mostly know nowadays. They didn’t look any different, except for the pair of mighty wings growing on their back which gave them the ability to fly. 

While several people in the modern days try to achieve flight through inventions and machines, these people were born with this gift of total freedom which allowed them to soar through the sky like birds.  
There were several kinds of winged people depending on their heritage that came with differences in their outer appearance and also their abilities, but they were all the same species.

In the early years they built connections and relationships with each other not only through speech but also through unique melodies.  
For this matter winged people had the most beautiful voices that could be heard by others of their kind over miles. Once one heard the voice that they couldn’t ignore, a person found their mate through a melody, that can then be heard in their head, almost telepathically.  
This is how soulmates found each other and kept the species alive for a very long time. 

As the time passed, many winged humans started relationships with normal people, which resulted in offspring that didn’t always inherit one of their parents’ wings.  
The species became a rarity, the chance of being born with wings is very small, even more uncommon than having quadruplets, but not impossible.

Only time will tell when they will disappear forever, but until then some people still know what it feels like to defy gravity. 

This day they still live among regular humans and with the steady change of the world, they don’t necessarily need to use their special abilities or their wings anymore and keep their wings hidden within, but where things are starting to lose their value, others might find their long lost key within them.

-

The heat of the midday sun is almost unbearable. The blinding light, the dry air and the hot ground are cooking the soldiers like an oven. They are not used to this kind of weather, well, her mostly American comrades aren’t.  
Fareeha herself tries not to laugh at their whiny complaints about how they are melting in their heavy uniforms.  
Having spent most of her childhood in Egypt, she is used to this kind of climate. 

“I have to admit, when I was little and wished for a job where I can be outside in the sun, this is not exactly what I had in mind.”  
The soldier sighed before he looked up at the burning sun, using a hand to shield his eyes.  
“Stop being such a pussy”, another soldier mutters, “You’re from Florida, you’ve been exposed to heat before.”  
“But I didn’t have to carry all this heavy shit with me.”

“Hey!”, a stern voice speaks through the radio, “Stop whining and stay alert.”  
Fareeha chuckles, making both soldiers look at her.  
“Seriously Amari, you can just fuck off”, the first one says, “You wouldn’t get it.”  
“You wouldn’t get it”, the other one mimics him with a high pitched voice.  
Fareeha rolls her eyes at the two of them with a smile in the corner of her mouth.

“She WOULDN’T get it!”, the soldier repeats, this time mentioning towards the woman to get his point across, “She can walk fucking barefoot without burning her feet, like..”  
“Calm down you big baby”, Fareeha mutters with a small smirk, “You better watch out so you won’t CATCH those feet.”  
“Well YOU better watch out I don’t get hungry for chicken wings when we get home.”

Fareeha smiles and shakes her head, when suddenly something blinds her eye for just a short millisecond.  
“Hold on..”, she mutters into the radio and stops walking.  
“Hold!”, another soldier in the back of the patrol exclaims with a raised hand, making the group stop walking and raise their weapons.

The woman’s eyes are focused on where the light came from. She scans the few buildings in the distance but she sees nothing suspicious. The hot air blurs her sight but her eyes still allow her to look as far as binoculars would.  
Then it happens again, a small flash catches her eye and she turns her head just slightly to the left where she sees it between the dunes.  
A scope.

A shot can be heard as a bullet nearly hits Fareeha’s head, making her drop to the ground.  
The soldiers hide behind the vehicle in the back as they load their weapons and start to aim.  
“Amari, where is he?”, she hears through the radio.  
Fareeha groans as she lifts herself up.  
“Left side between the dunes, sniper.”

As her comrades start to shoot in the direction, Fareeha can see the person with the rifle turn around behind the dune to shield themselves from the fire.  
“Got them in my sights!”, she exclaims as she stands up. She notices more movement, this time coming from the houses.  
“More enemies in the buildings!”  
“Amari, get the sniper! We’ll take care of the rest!”  
Fareeha starts to sprint towards the enemies, dropping her backpack on the way and only taking her weapon with her.

Evading the bullets flying towards her she takes a big jump into the air. Before she falls back to the ground the wind lifts her up as a pair of mighty wings make their way through the openings on the back of her uniform. 

Fareeha’s wings are big and powerful, shaped like the wings of an eagle and cedar colored with little markings like the wings of a falcon. Completely outstretched they are long and broad with a wingspan of more than five meters. 

With strong strokes she pushes herself further into the air before she lifts her weapon to go after the sniper when she notices that he has left his hiding spot.  
“Fuck”, she mumbles under her breath as she starts to scan her environment again.

Before Fareeha can find him, a bullet hits her body, going right through her abdomen.  
The woman screams in pain and lets go of the weapon she was holding in her hand to reach for the wound as her body curls up and starts to fall.  
Right after she hits the sand she starts to crawl out of the shooters sight, hiding behind a collapsed building.  
“Fuck fuck FUCK!”

She carefully lifts her arm to take a look at her wound. Blood is oozing out of the hole that the bullet left and it hurts like hell.  
With gritted teeth she reaches for the radio.  
“Sniper on the roof, I’m hit!”  
Fareeha uses her own hand to apply pressure to the injury which makes her groan in pain. She wants to get up to try and fly again but every move feels like a sharp sting in her body and makes the pain even worse.  
“Stay where you are, Amari!”, someone orders through the radio, “We’re moving forward!”

Fareeha turns her head from the wound towards her group.  
Her vision is starting to become blurry from the pain and she is starting to feel dizzy.  
She notices someone rushing towards her, but she can’t make out their face. As they come closer she notices that the person is not actually running. She sees white wings flying towards her, another winged person with a red cross on their uniform, a medic.  
Once the medic is close enough, Fareeha can look at their face.

“I’ve got you”, a woman with a determined, yet calm voice tells Fareeha, her wings fluttering before letting them rest as she places her hand on Fareeha’s stomach.  
Fareeha watches how a golden light fills her wound. She hisses slightly as her skin starts to bind itself back together, closing the oozing hole in her abdomen.

“You..”, Fareeha starts before she looks back up at the medic’s face.  
“Come on, get up”, the woman says and holds Fareeha’s arm to help her stand up, “Careful..”  
The soldier lifts herself from the ground, flapping her wings to shake the sand off of her, before she looks down at her stomach.  
Her uniform is still ripped but her skin is completely sealed. Nothing would indicate that a bleeding bullet hole was there, it was gone, without the smallest scar.

Fareeha takes a closer look at the medic in front of her.  
Healing hands, pure white wings that sparkle in the sun, shining blue eyes.  
“An angel..”  
The medic places her hands on Fareeha’s shoulder, looking at her face.  
“Are you okay? Can you fly?”, she asks her, true concern in her eyes. 

Fareeha nods slowly.  
“Yes, yes I think so.”  
The medic smiles.  
“Good. Let’s go and finish this.”  
With these words she lifts herself from the ground, nodding at Fareeha.  
“I’m with you.”

With the woman’s reassurance, Fareeha uses her wings to get back into the air, flying up towards the sun to gain height.  
The medic follows her, making sure to be close to the soldier.  
Fareeha notices how the woman is glowing in the same light that she used to heal her wound and it gave Fareeha a weird feeling she hasn’t experienced before.  
It feels like something is running through her body, something powerful. Everything about her seems to be enhanced, her strength, her speed and her senses.

Immediately Fareeha notices the sniper on the roof who doesn’t seem to pay her any attention anymore and is aiming at her group instead.  
She pulls her wings back towards her body to accelerate as she starts to dive towards the shooter, slicing through the air at immense speed. 

Just as she is about to hit him, Fareeha opens her wings and lunges at the sniper with a pair of long and sharp talons.  
They dig into his shoulders and flesh as she carries him off the building, up into the air.  
The man squirms, dropping his rifle in surprise before he tries to fight her off with his arms and legs. 

Fareeha throws him up into the air before catching him with her hand, grabbing him by the ankle so he cannot fight back anymore.  
When she reaches her group, she drops the man, using her claw to pin him down before knocking him out with her fist.

“Good job Amari, Ziegler!”, her comrade shouts before throwing a weapon towards her, “Now go help us with the rest of these fuckers!”  
Fareeha nods as she catches the weapon before looking at the medic behind her.  
‘Ziegler’, is written right under the red cross.  
“Ready?”, the medic asks her.

Fareeha takes a closer look at the woman, noticing how her wings seem to be pumping out little particles from between the feathers. She is shorter than Fareeha and so are her wings, but she didn’t seem to have any problems keeping up with her in the air, she is very quick and agile.

Loading her weapon, Fareeha nods at the medic before opening her wings.  
“Ready.”

-

“Well seems like my dream of chicken wings almost came true today”, Fareeha’s comrade says, laughing at his own joke before being shoved by her and almost dropping his food.  
“You’re such an asshole”, Fareeha says with a chuckle, placing her food on the table before sitting down, her friend in front of her.

Her wings are gone, just like her claws which she can retract whenever she wants to.  
Not being on the battlefield, both of them are wearing a different and more comfortable uniform and Fareeha is now wearing shoes as well. 

“Is it true that you can’t cut your toenails or your talons will be short?”  
“What is it with you and all those foot comments?”, Fareeha asks as she starts to eat, “Are you trying to tell me something?”  
“Hell nah”, he says with a smirk as he shoves his food into his mouth, “Sorry Fareeha, but you’re not my type, I’m not into dudes.”  
He receives a smack on the head, followed by a playful hit.  
“Idiot..”, she mumbles with a small smile. 

They both eat in peace from then on, talking about the newest occurrences, when the winged medic walks past the table, catching Fareeha’s eye.  
She, as well, retracted her wings and wears her simple clothes as she sits at the table in the back with the other medics. Her blonde hair is up in a bun and she is wearing a pair of glasses. 

Fareeha’s comrade notices her mental absence and follows her gaze before he looks back at her with a grin.  
“Is that the one who got to you, the little dove?”  
“Hm?”, Fareeha asks, now looking at him.  
“She’s the one who saved you earlier, right?”  
“Oh right, yeah that’s her”, Fareeha tells him, “Ziegler.”

“Ziegler huh?”, the young man asks, still shoveling food in his mouth, “.. I mean, Fareeha Ziegler doesn’t sound too bad.”  
“Stop it”, Fareeha says, rolling her eyes, “You’re so immature.”

Reaching for his heart and faking little sobs her friend makes a face like he is about to cry.  
“Oh man, that hit me, that really hit me..”  
Fareeha just shakes her head and decides to ignore him.  
“Look, you’re both young, Fareeha you’re only twenty two. I know you’re in the army but you can still do the things people your age do! Talk to her.”  
“People my age?”, Fareeha asks laughing, “You’re only two years older than me.”  
“Older is still older.”

Her comrade puts his empty plate aside to move closer to Fareeha.  
“Come on, you know you’ve got it in you. You’re not THAT ugly, you can impress her.”  
Fareeha places her fork on the plate before picking it up.  
“You know what? I actually WILL talk to her, but only so I can get away from you”, she says as she pushes the bench back to step away from the table.  
“That’s what I’m talking about!”, her friend says with a smile, hitting Fareeha’s back as she passes him, “Go get it!”

Fareeha sighs, shaking her head but still smiling.  
She approaches the medic’s table where all pairs of eyes are now directed towards her.  
“Um, hey”, Fareeha says awkwardly before mentioning towards the free space on the bench in front of the woman, “This place free?”  
The medic shrugs before giving her a smile.  
“Sure, have a seat.”  
“Thanks”, Fareeha says before sitting down and continuing to eat as the other medics start to talk with each other again.

“So..”, the woman says, crossing her arms in front of her chest, “You’ve come over to ‘come get it’?”  
Fareeha’s face starts to heat up as she almost chokes on her food.  
“Wha-.. NO, no, what?”  
The medic starts to laugh.  
“I’m just kidding, just kidding”, she explains, still chuckling, “I heard your buddy over there, he seems very eager.”

This is the first time Fareeha notices the woman’s accent when she is speaking without the stressful environment of the battlefield. She doesn’t sound American at all, somehow Dutch or maybe German. 

“Oh”, Fareeha says, rubbing the back of her head. She looks back to glare at her friend who is giving her a thumbs up.  
“He’s an idiot, sorry about him.”  
“It’s fine”, the woman says with a smile before holding out her hand, “Angela. Combat Medic Angela Ziegler.”  
Fareeha takes her hand before shaking it firmly.  
“Fareeha Amari”, she introduces herself, “I’m part of the wings program.. as you probably noticed.”  
“Yeah I figured”, Angela says with a friendly smile, “Which heritage?”

Fareeha pushes her plate away to lean against the table.  
“Thunderbird descendant”, she tells her, “My dad was Canadian and turns out my great great grandfather was winged as well.”  
“Aha”, Angela says nodding as she listens to the soldier in front of her, “Explains the claws and the feathers. I figured it would be something avian.”  
“Yeah”, Fareeha says with a chuckle, “And you, you have to be an angel.”

Angela nods, taking a sip of the coffee in front of her.  
“Yes, no descendant. First generation Angel.”  
“How come if you don’t mind me asking”, Fareeha asks her, “I mean, I know how it works but.. I’m curious. Angels are very rare.”  
Angela nods again.  
“I was an Angel from birth on. I was a stillborn baby.”

Fareeha watches her face carefully.  
“My parents were devastated and even though they were convinced atheists, they prayed for me. Prayed to some higher power to save me. And I guess I was lucky.”  
Angela shrugs, followed by a soft smile.  
“I breathed and started crying, just as my wings grew, that’s what they told me. That’s also why they called me Angela, sappy I know.”  
“No, not at all”, Fareeha says softly, “I think it’s a beautiful name.”  
“Thank you..”, Angela says with a smile, “Sorry for hitting you with all that heavy stuff.”  
“Totally fine, I wanted to know”, Fareeha says, smiling reassuringly.

“Yeah..”, Angela mutters with a nod before looking back at Fareeha, “You’re such a talented flier, who taught you to fly like that?”  
The soldier leans back, smiling to herself.  
“My mom did. She gave me the confidence I needed, that’s what really helped me.”  
“Oh interesting, is your mom winged as well?”, Angela asks.  
Fareeha shakes her head.  
“No, she wasn’t. None of my Egyptian side of the family were winged but my mom studied a lot to help me in any way she could. Taught me to fly, to not stumble over the claws, to always clean the feathers you can barely reach.”

“She sounds like a great mother”, Angela says, noticing Fareeha’s change in expression.  
“Yeah.. “Fareeha mutters quietly, “She was..”  
Angela frowns.  
“I’m sorry.”  
“It’s okay, really.”  
Fareeha clears her throat, putting on a small smile.  
“Well, she made me who I am today and I’m proud of that. School wasn’t always easy for me with the other kids not used to having any winged people around, but she always built me up and made me strong. She was in the army as well and died while she was away. That’s why I’m here, to honor her.”  
“Your mother would be very proud of you”, Angela says, returning Fareeha’s smile.

Fareeha sees Angela’s sincerity in her eyes and it fills her with warmth and comfort.  
“Thank you. Well, she would also be as glad as I am to know that I have a guardian angel looking out for me.”  
Angela leans back, crossing her arms and raising a brow.  
“Is that so?”  
The soldier tries to hide her uncertainty behind a confident grin.  
“Well, at least I hope so.”

The medic chuckles as she gets up, grabbing her empty coffee mug.  
“I’ll see what I can do”, she tells her as she walks past her to get fresh coffee, but not without placing her hand on Fareeha’s shoulder.  
It was just a second but that touch sends shivers through Fareeha’s skin, making her swallow hard. She turns around to look after Angela who stands in line for the coffee machine, only to see her overly excited comrade silently celebrating her. 

-

Months of hard work and training are starting to pay off.  
Not only does Fareeha improve in flight, more importantly she starts to become more tactical and to trust her comrades. She forms a strong bond with her team which she can always rely on, but also with Angela.  
Together they become unstoppable and the best air support anyone could ask for.

In Angela Fareeha finds someone she can trust, someone who listens to whatever she has to say, what angers her, what makes her laugh and what inspires her.  
They learn a lot about each other and also about themselves.  
Fareeha catches herself wanting to be around Angela a lot and it doesn’t help that she senses Angela wanting the same.  
Whenever they make it out of a battle and walk back to camp together, Fareeha is more than grateful for the life she has and for the people around her. 

“Angela?”  
“Come in!”  
Fareeha walks through the entrance of the medic’s tent, smiling at her when she sees Angela sitting on her bed and cleaning her feathers with a wet cloth. A lamp on her bedside table fills the tent with a warm light.  
“Hey there”, she greets the soldier as she continues to run the fabric along her wings.  
“Hi”, Fareeha says, sitting down next to her, “Need help with that?”  
“It’s fine, I’m almost done anyway”, the blonde woman says, “You told me you got a call earlier this morning?”

“Yes”, Fareeha tells her, still watching Angela, “They told me I might get special flight training with new equipment. They want to build adjusted weapons and armor for winged soldiers like me to shield the wings and make the talons stronger and deadlier.”  
“And what did you say?”, Angela asks, still concentrated on her wings.  
“I mean, I don’t really have a say whether I like it or not, but better equipment is always a good thing.”  
“Mhm”, Angela mumbles with a nod, “That’s good to hear.”

She puts the cloth aside before fluttering her wings. The moon shining through the window of the tent makes them sparkle.  
“It’s crazy how much humanity has changed, right?”  
Fareeha looks at her, leaning back against the wall.  
“What do you mean?”  
Angela looks out of the window.  
“Especially considering how we as winged people are seen nowadays.”  
Fareeha watches how Angela runs her hand along her wings.

“Ordinary humans only have two views of us. We are either abominations or useful tools. Most of our kind hide their wings except when they are useful for others.”  
Angela looks at Fareeha.  
“I mean, you yourself told me that you always hid your wings when you were in school and also afterwards because you were so scared of being judged by them. And with that I’m not judging you, it was a smart and very understandable thing to do.”

Fareeha tries to read Angela’s face.  
“What are you trying to tell me?”  
Angela takes her glasses off before putting them away on the bedside table.  
“You’re such a talented flier. Yet you only used your wings when you were away from any other people or when people needed them in the army.”

Angela moves her hand to the back of Fareeha’s neck before pressing down between her shoulder blades which exposed Fareeha’s wings, a sensitive spot that the soldier told her about, which her mother often used when Fareeha didn’t want to wash her wings.  
The woman blushes before rolling her eyes.  
“Your turn”, Angela tells her with a smile, making the soldier turn around so the medic can wash her feathers as well.

Fareeha closes her eyes at the feel of Angela’s soft touch on her wings. She can feel the gentleness of her hands and how she strokes her feathers every now and then.

“Did you know there were times where winged people flew for their own happiness and harmony within their body instead of acting as a military machine? Their instinct pulled them to the sky, a longing that could only be satisfied with flying.”

There’s a soft tone of sadness in Angela’s voice which makes Fareeha open her eyes.

“You’re talking about me, aren’t you?”  
Angela silently continues to clean Fareeha’s feathers.  
“Don’t get me wrong, Angela.. But if that’s how you think, then why are you here?”

Angela sighs.  
“As you know the army is actively looking for people who can fly. They find them, no matter where they live. They gave me the opportunity to join and it was my free will, even if you don’t believe it. But my condition was that I wouldn’t kill. I wanted to heal and to help, that was my purpose.”  
She chuckles slightly.  
“I bet they only agreed because they thought they could change my mind about the no killing part, but I stood my ground. I want to heal.”

Fareeha nods as she listens.  
Angela puts the cloth down and strokes Fareeha’s wings softly.  
“I bet your intention of joining the army wasn’t to kill either, right?”  
Fareeha turns her head to look at the medic.  
“You’re not a violent person”, the angel continues, “I can see it in your soul. You’re strong and powerful, you know that and they know that. But don’t let them exploit that.”

The soldier just stares at Angela with a mixture of surprise and adoration, as if she just met a real goddess. Nobody has ever talked to her the way she talks to her, and she cannot shake the feeling that what she is saying makes sense, it really does.

“This is my duty”, Fareeha starts, looking down at her hands, “It makes me feel like I’m needed. I’m more powerful than any of those soldiers, that’s just how it is.”  
Angela smiles softly.  
“Fareeha.. There might be other places where you’re needed.”  
She places her hand on Fareeha’s cheek, stroking it softly.  
“I’m sure of that.”

Fareeha looks into Angela’s eyes.  
She wants to believe her, she really does.  
“I have nobody waiting for me”, she mutters quietly, almost whispering, “My parents are gone, my friends are my comrades, I..”  
Fareeha swallows hard. Years of ignoring the thought of leaving the army and returning to a place without a home or a family slowly creeping back into her head.  
“This place is where I belong..”

Angela slowly shakes her head.  
Within a short moment she moves her hand to the back of Fareeha’s neck before pulling her towards her.  
Fareeha’s heart is beating so fast that she can’t catch her breath in time as she feels the woman’s breath on her face before their lips meet in a soft kiss.

In that moment Fareeha feels a different kind of feeling, a new sensation she hasn’t experienced before, not like this.  
Something in her chest starts to ache and feel heavy, almost pulling her towards something. Her whole body feels paralyzed but also more alive than it has ever been.  
She can sense something, even though they are surrounded by complete silence Fareeha doesn’t hear.. no, she feels a melody, a beautiful melody inside of her head, making her hum in return.

They pull away from each other, only to rest their forehead against each other.  
Angela smiles softly before giving her a kiss on the cheek and wrapping her arms around Fareeha’s body with her head resting on her shoulder.  
“Maybe you belong somewhere else.”

Almost instinctively Fareeha holds the woman’s body in her arms. She can’t remember the last time somebody hugged her like this, far less made her feel this drawn to someone else’s body.  
Her eyes land on Angela’s wings.  
She traces her finger along the muscles underneath the fluffy feathers, making little golden particles appear between them.  
Truly angelic.

After a while in silence Angela starts to pull away to look at Fareeha’s face.  
“Tell me, Fareeha..”, she starts quietly, her arms still wrapped around her.  
Her wings are now constantly pumping out more golden dust, wrapping itself around the pair.  
The soldier looks down at her beautiful face, her eyes reflecting the golden glow.  
“Have you ever sung before?”

Suddenly a loud explosion startles the two of them.  
People outside of the tent start yelling, ordering everyone out of their tents as distant gunfire can be heard.  
“What’s happening?”, Fareeha asks.  
“We have to get out!”, Angela tells her, grabbing her field gear and equipment. 

They both rush out of the tent to see soldiers running to the gate at the entrance to defend their camp, just as a second explosion goes off.  
A helicopter flies above them, shooting rapid gunfire into the group of soldiers, who try to hide between vehicles and any forms of shields.  
Fareeha frantically tries to overlook the situation, but too much is happening at once.  
How could this happen this quickly and how did nobody notice?

“Ziegler, we need you at the frontline!”, somebody yells, there is too much going on to identify anybody anymore.  
“Jawohl!”, she exclaims as she stretches her wings. She turns her head towards Fareeha, nodding at her before she flies away to help the people.  
Her worry turns into determination as their eyes meet, giving Fareeha the push she needs. 

“Amari, take care of the damn helicopter!”, the sergeant yells, handing Fareeha a weapon, before he follows Angela to help at the front.  
“Understood!”  
In one strong jump she lifts herself from the ground, her eyes fixed on the helicopter gunship above her.  
Her talons rip through her boots, which she shakes off immediately.

As soon as she gets closer to the helicopter, one of the passengers notices her. He reaches for his gun and tries to shoot her down, which Fareeha evades skillfully.  
She uses her own weapon to fire at the helicopter, which starts to focus her instead of the soldiers on the ground.  
“Yes, come follow me!”, she yells, flying away to distract the pilot, which seems to be working. 

No matter how hard he tries, not a single bullet hits her, which gives Fareeha the opportunity to attack.  
With a quick turn she catches the front of the machine with her claws, holding onto the poles on each side of the cockpit.  
She looks straight at the pilots face, almost tauntingly before she starts to shoot at the glass, gritting her teeth when it doesn’t break.  
Bulletproof.

She looks towards her troop on the ground, seemingly starting to gain the upper hand.  
“Come on, Fareeha!”, she tells herself, taking a few deep breaths.

Using all her might she starts to twist and turn her body, gripping onto the helicopter as hard as she can to drag it with her.  
Her wings struggle to win against the strength of the rotor blades and her claws ache, trying not to lose grip, but she still manages to twist the machine, making the pilot lose control of the vehicle.

She groans in effort, spinning faster as the machine starts to beep rapidly.  
With one loud grunt she releases her grip to throw the helicopter towards the ground. 

Before Fareeha can catch her breath, something pulls her leg, making her panic. She notices how her left claw is still stuck to the pole, not allowing her to fly away.  
She uses her other claw, trying to kick herself free, but it’s not moving an inch.  
The helicopter is pulling Fareeha down with it.

“Helicopter going down!”, she shouts into her radio, panic in her voice, “I repeat, helicopter going down! I’m stuck to the machine!”

The two passengers jump out of the vehicle, leaving Fareeha stuck to the cockpit as the helicopter keeps spinning, making her feel dizzy.  
Someone is yelling through the radio but she cannot hear a single word.  
Just as she tries to brace herself for the collision, a big piece of metal knocks her out.

Everything is blurred.  
Her sight, her hearing, everything is muffled, hazy and blurred.  
She tries to open her eyes, but she only manages to slowly raise one lid.  
All she sees is the wreck of the helicopter, unclear faces and a golden glow.  
People are talking, but she can’t make out any words. 

She feels something warm on her body.  
Blood?  
Fareeha tries to open her eyes further to figure out what is going on when a different voice seems to catch her attention.

“Angela..”, she whispers almost without sound, trying to turn her head to the side.  
She can feel a warm hand on her head, making sure she doesn’t move.  
“Don’t move, everything will be fine..”  
Fareeha tries to sit up.  
“Angela-“

She is interrupted by a sharp pain in her back and a loud crack, making her want to scream but not a single noise makes its way through her dry throat.  
She starts to hyperventilate when more hands touch her body. Other medics try to maneuver her, only increasing the pain while Angela still holds Fareeha’s head in place.  
“Don’t move”, she repeats, clearly trying to keep herself together, “Don’t move and it’ll be okay.”

Fareeha tries to look at the woman’s face as tears start to fill her eyes, making her vision even blurrier.  
“I’m here.”  
She keeps her eyes locked on Angela. Even as darkness starts to take over, she can still feel her.  
The last thing she hears before she slips into unconsciousness is the sound of the most beautiful voice, singing a familiar melody.

-

A rhythmic beeping starts to awaken Fareeha’s senses.  
She carefully opens her eyes to the sight of a white ceiling.  
Her toe twitches and her fingers tingle slightly as she tries to slowly rise from the bed she is laying in.  
Her eyes are slowly starting to get used to the light when she notices that she is in a hospital.

As soon as her upper body rises from the mattress, she can feel a bandage underneath her gown starting to loosen, freeing her wings that were tied to her body while she was unconscious.  
She stretches them carefully, but they don’t seem to hurt.

Feeling confident, she moves her legs to the edge of the bed before placing her feet on the ground.  
A clacking sound makes her look down.  
Fareeha is confused by the sight of her claws on the linoleum ground.  
She checks their grip, which seems to work fine as well.

A knock on the door makes the woman turn her head. A doctor walks inside, a device in his arm.  
“Miss Amari, the Sergeant would like to talk to you.”

-

Fareeha sits at the edge of her bed, staring out into the night sky.  
She is still trying to digest the conversation with her Sergeant, not knowing what to do.

The Sergeant told her that Fareeha was unconscious for almost a month. Her body had to heal after what she had to endure during the crash.  
Her back was in the worst condition. Together with her wings it took the greatest damage. After many operations the doctors managed to save both her back and the wings, but not without restrictions.

“What do you mean with ‘amputate them’..?”, Fareeha asked the Sergeant in disbelief.  
“A bird that can’t fly is a dead bird”, the Sergeant tells her through the screen, “We’re just looking out for you, Amari. Since you can’t retract them anymore, you won’t only be unable to reach your full potential, you will also be dragging unneeded baggage with you whenever you are out on the field. It’s what makes the most sense.”

Fareeha shook her head.  
“No. I may be able to fly again with therapy, my wings aren’t a lost cause.”  
The man sighed.  
“It would take years. And even if we pay for therapy, the chance that you will be able to fly again like you used to is almost zero.”  
The woman kept shaking her head.  
“No. If I can retract them or not, I can’t let anyone amputate them.”

She looked at the Sergeant.  
“May I talk to the Combat Medic? Ziegler, the one who saved me.”  
“I’m afraid not”, the Sergeant told her, “Ziegler’s employment has ended early.”  
Fareeha frowned in confusion.  
“What do you mean her employment has ended early?”  
“For personal reasons”, the man continued. 

Fareeha leaned back into her chair.  
Angela left?  
“..Where is she now?”, Fareeha asked.  
“On her way home or wherever it takes her”, he told her, “I don’t have that information.”  
“Well, who has it?”, Fareeha kept asking.  
“That is data I simply can’t publish.”

Fareeha shook her head again before turning her head from the screen to the window.  
Angela left. She was on her way home.

“Look”, the Sergeant said, “We will give you 48 hours to sign the papers and your wings will be amputated, you don’t have to pay for the surgery. Same thing with your claws, you will get new artificial feet.”  
Fareeha still looked out of the window.  
“48 hours”, he repeated before the screen went black.

Fareeha looks up at the stars as if they could help her with her decision.  
‘A bird that can’t fly’, that’s what he called her.  
She pulls her legs up to her chest before wrapping her arms and wings around herself, like she did when she was younger.

Closing her eyes and releasing a long sigh, she lets herself fall back into the mattress when she notices that her wings are now in the way.  
They flutter a little, making Fareeha groan in annoyance before she sits back up to pull them together, making laying down a lot more comfortable.

“Unneeded baggage..”  
She slowly reaches over her shoulder to touch the feathers of her wings ever so lightly. 

A melody.

Fareeha sits up immediately.  
She knows that voice.

Again, the same melody.

Thinking that it might come from outside, she gets up from the bed and steps onto the balcony, but nobody is there.

Fareeha turns her head when she hears the melody for the third time, this time very clear.  
“That voice..”

‘Maybe you belong somewhere else’, that’s what Angela said.  
‘Have you ever sung before?’

“Have I ever sung before?”, Fareeha mumbles.  
What did she mean by that?

Fareeha hums the melody she heard, trying to get it back into her head.  
That’s when it is back, the voice, but even louder, almost making her jump out of her skin.  
Her chest feels tight but warm, almost painful but still so comforting.

Now actually singing the melody herself for the first time, the voice answers immediately.  
“This is real..”

She remembers what her mother told her when she was a child, the memory was so far gone but now it is back.

“In the early years winged people built connections and relationships with each other not only through speech but also through unique melodies.”  
That’s what she found in one of her books.  
“For this matter winged people had the most beautiful voices that could be heard by others of their kind over miles. Once one heard the voice that they couldn’t ignore, a person found their mate through a melody, that can then be heard in their head, almost telepathically.”

“It makes sense..”, Fareeha tells herself.  
Her confused face now switches to a determined smile.  
“Everything makes sense.”

-

A week later Fareeha is released from the hospital. With her wings wrapped to her back and hidden in a big hoodie, her claws taped together and stuffed into a pair of boots and her bag thrown over her shoulder, she steps into the taxi.

“Amari, right?”, the driver asks, “Heading to the airport?”  
“Yes please”, Fareeha says with a nod, trying to make herself comfortable with the length of her wings trapped underneath her.  
“Which terminal?”  
“Terminal C”, she tells him.  
“Terminal C, internatiol flights huh?”, the driver says with a raised brow, “Where are you traveling to?”  
Fareeha smiles as she looks out of the window up into the blue sky.  
“Zürich, Switzerland.”


	2. Some look for trouble, while others don’t

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two is finally here my dudes and dudettes!  
> My city is on a lockdown as well, the cinema I work at is closed and whenever my girlfriend gets tired of me, I can actually find the time to write! :)
> 
> I’m quiet happy with how this turned out and super excited to keep writing!
> 
> Enjoy :D

Fareeha walks out of the train station, smiling when she is greeted by a bright sun and a blue sky.  
This is it. A new start, a new life.

She looks down at the note in her hand, where the address of her hotel is written down, before she walks over to one of the many taxis waiting in front of the entrance of the station.

“Good morning!”, she greets the driver, smiling as she places her backpack on the seat before she gets in herself.  
“Wo soll’s hingehen? (Where to go?)”, the driver asks her, putting down the newspaper he was reading.

Fareeha stares at him, not understanding a word.  
“Uh.. Can you take me to my hotel?”  
The driver just returns her stare.  
“Hotel?”, he asks, “Welches denn? (Which one?)”  
Fareeha shows him the note with the address, which the driver takes with a knowing nod.  
Smiling in relief she looks out of the window as the car starts moving.

This city is truly different to the places she has seen before.  
She is amazed by the European architecture, the many bridges over the water and the mountains she can see in the far distance.

Angela has to be somewhere out here, she just knows. The angel has told her many stories of her childhood back in Switzerland and since she went back home, Fareeha knows that she will find her here.  
The ache in her chest returns, making the former soldier sigh quietly.

After a short car ride the taxi reaches the hotel Fareeha has booked in advance.  
“Thank you so much, Danke!”, Fareeha thanks the driver as she reaches for her wallet, “How much will that be?”  
The driver just points to the head-up display revealing the fee.  
Fareeha’s eyes widen.  
80 swiss francs is a proud price, Zürich sure isn’t a cheap city.

After checking in, Fareeha decides to explore the city for a bit.  
She walks along the water, checks out the many bakeries and even attends a boat tour for tourists.  
Some people start whispering when they see part of her wings peeking out from underneath the hoodie, but Fareeha simply ignores them, she is just too mesmerized by all these new sights. 

In the evening Fareeha relaxes in a lounge chair on the balcony of her room, drinking a beer and just admiring the view.  
She waits for the voice that has been visiting her every night and left Fareeha longing for its owner.  
She hums the melody, waiting impatiently, but tonight it is taking a long time.

After finishing her beer, Fareeha puts the bottle aside and gets up, walking towards the railing.  
“Where are you?”, she whispers quietly, slowly starting to get confused.  
She closes her eyes, trying her best not to make a sound and listens carefully.  
The sound of the city underneath her, a soft wind, people talking in the streets.  
No melody.

Fareeha sings quietly, repeating the melody, but there is still no answer.  
She doesn’t understand, where is she?  
With determination she sings the same melody again, but louder this time.  
Nobody is answering.

“Hm..”  
Fareeha sits back down on the chair, staring into the distance of the night.  
“She must be asleep already”, Fareeha thinks, “Asleep or just busy, she just can’t sing tonight. That must be it.”

She stays on the balcony a little longer, still with a small glimpse of hope that the voice will come.  
After an hour of waiting and a second beer Fareeha decides to call it a night as it is also starting to get a little too cold outside for her liking.  
“Next day you’ll be back”, Fareeha thinks as she is slowly starting to fall asleep, “I can’t wait to hear you again.”

That is what she tells herself every night.

-

Five years later

-

Cookies, biscuits, cakes, toast.. ah, bread.  
Fareeha reaches for the loaf in the shelf before placing it underneath her arm together with a few other things.  
That should do.  
She starts to make her way back to the entrance of the store when suddenly one of the apples she’s been holding falls to the floor, making the people at the check out line turn their heads.

Fareeha looks down at the apple before locking eyes with the employee behind the counter.  
His eyes travel from Fareeha’s face down to the items in her grip.  
“Hey, das müssen sie bezahlen! (You gotta pay for that!)”, he says, but before anyone can react, Fareeha starts sprinting out of the store, dropping two more apples on her way.

“HEY!”, the man shouts, running past the counter to follow her, “ANHALTEN! (STOP!)”  
Fareeha keeps running as fast as she can, gripping onto the groceries in her hands for dear life as she tries to get away.  
She jumps over benches and trash cans, swiftly evading any people in her way before she turns her head to see the man still running after her.  
“Shit!”

She is slowly starting to lose her breath when she passes a corner and suddenly crushes into a cyclist who didn’t see her, making her fall and drop the food.  
With her items all spread out on the floor she watches in horror as the employee is slowly catching up to her.  
“Oh shit, ist alles okay? (Is everything okay?)”, the cyclist asks her as he drops his bike to collect the food from the ground when his hand touches the sharp claw that belongs to Fareeha. Completely startled he pulls his hand away.

Fareeha still tries to catch her breath as she looks from the food up at her chaser.  
She groans in frustration.  
Making a quick decision she gives up the food and escapes the scene before the man can catch her. She runs into an alley where she hides behind a container, still breathing heavily.  
That was close.

After living in the hotel for several days, Fareeha decided that she had to find work better sooner than later.  
While she was physically able to do many, there were only a limited amount of jobs that she could apply for due to the fact that she couldn’t speak or understand any german. Another big issue were her wings and claws, that didn’t fit into any working clothes or shoes for that matter. It is very hard to find a place that supports working barefoot and the chance of scaring customers. 

Fareeha couldn’t afford the hotel any longer and tried to find another place to live, but while finding a cheap apartment in Zürich is hard enough alone, her unemployment didn’t exactly help.  
Going back to Egypt wasn’t an option. She would still be homeless and even if that wasn’t the problem, she also couldn’t afford the ticket for the flight.

At night Fareeha usually sits at the corner of a restaurant, her body wrapped in a blanket to not only shield herself from the weather, but also the looks of the people.  
She is not the person to beg or ask people for money, she rather stays hidden and tries to get by on her own. Once the restaurant closes, there is always a chance of finding a hidden treasure underneath the remains of the day that they throw into the trash.  
But not today.

Her stomach growls loudly, making the woman sigh in frustration.  
Today definitely wasn’t a good day. She didn’t manage to find anything eatable, she almost got caught stealing and now it is also starting to rain, drenching her hair and blanket.

She watches a few people as they leave the restaurant, laughing happily and talking with excitement in their voices.  
Fareeha can barely remember the last time she heard someone talk to her like that, or even talk to her at all.

She misses talking, having people around that want to know how she is feeling and people that trust her enough to tell her about themselves and their lives. She didn’t use to be an introverted person, she liked being among others, going to the bar for a drink, playing basketball together, that was her. But not now.  
Fareeha is barely a shadow of who she used to be, always in the dark, hiding away from anyone who looks at her for too long.

Sometimes she wonders what would have happened if she let the doctors amputate her wings, how her life would have turned out.  
Would she still be in the army? Maybe as Sergeant or even Captain. Wingless but successful, happy.

This is all her dumb heritage’s fault, why did her stupid instincts had to mess with her head so badly?  
Because of that melody, this damn voice!  
It still angers her when she thinks about it. 

Fareeha stopped singing years ago, the voice didn’t return, it never did.  
She isn’t even sure if she could bring out a steady note at this point anymore. The melody and everything that pulled her to the point where she is now is gone, it left her.  
No more motivation, no more desire.  
Simply surviving, just.. ‘being’.

She is not sad though. Sadness would be the wrong word.  
Fareeha used to be sad. She was sad on her first night on the street, she was sad when her last pair of shoes ripped and she was sad when somebody stole her things while she was asleep, but not anymore.  
Now she just feels numb.

Ripped out of her thoughts she looks to her left where a young waiter with an umbrella slowly approaches her.  
“Guten Abend, äh.. (Good evening, um..)”, he starts, scratching his head, “I’m so sorry. You have to find a different place to stay. Apparently a few guests saw you and felt disturbed by your presence so my boss sent me out to-..”  
“I get it”, Fareeha mumbles, slowly getting up from the ground, “You don’t have to explain.”

“I’m so sorry”, the young man repeats before he hands her a plastic bag, steam coming out of it, “This is for you. They didn’t notice so nobody’s in trouble.”  
Fareeha looks at the bag before slowly reaching out to take it.  
Looking inside she sees that it is filled with small shreds of chicken with some veggies on the side.

“.. Are you serious?”  
“I know it’s not much..”, the waiter says, awkwardly looking down at his feet, “I-It would have been to obvious if I took more-..”  
“Thank you”, Fareeha says with a sincere smile, “That’s very nice of you, thank you so much.”  
The waiter smiles softly and gives her a nod before he walks back towards the entrance of the restaurant.

Fareeha reaches into the bag and takes out a little piece of the meat. It is warm and smells nice. She puts it in her mouth and closes her eyes as warmth spreads from her head to her claws.  
It’s delicious.

Grabbing the few things she has, she starts walking to find another place for the night as the rain starts to get heavier. She slowly eats her dinner, trying to savor it as long as she can. 

After a while Fareeha can hear shrill laughter in the distance. She doesn’t give it a long thought until the laughter is followed by loud german remarks, that she doesn’t quiet understand.  
Probably a group of teenagers or something, it is Saturday night after all.

“Hey du! (Hey you!)”, the owner of the shrill voice, a young woman shouts, making Fareeha turn her head.  
It’s a group of young people approaching her. They seem a little drunk in the way they speak too loud and push each other around whilst they laugh and drink from different kinds of bottles in their hands.

The woman, who is constantly leaning against the guy in the front, moves closer to his ear as if she wants to whisper something, but talks loud enough for Fareeha to hear if she understood what she is actually saying.  
She nods towards Fareeha before starting to laugh again.

“Hey!”, now the guy shouts as he approaches her, “Hey Penner! Bock ein bisschen Kohle zu machen? (Hey hobo, you wanna make some cash?)”  
Fareeha doesn’t know what he is saying but decides that it’s for the best to just get going. Ignoring the group she keeps walking, reaching for a piece of meat from the plastic bag, but the guy doesn’t give up.  
He jogs towards her, catching up as he can now take a look at her face.  
“Yooo, das ist ein Weib! (That’s a female!)”, he shouts towards his group, “Nicht so ne Süße, aber ein Weib! (Not a cute one, but a female!)”

Fareeha feels very uncomfortable and walks faster, but the guy holds her shoulder.  
“You don’t look Swiss”, he tells her, “Are you a refugee?”  
“I’m not”, Fareeha tells him, backing away when the young woman and the rest of the group reach her as well.

“Guck dir ihre Füße an! (Look at her feet!)”, the woman exclaims with a gasp, pointing at Fareeha’s claws and making the whole group go nuts.  
“Yo, what the fuck!”, the guy shouts, laughing loudly and moving away to get a better look, “Dude, du musst das filmen! (You gotta record that!)”

Fareeha turns her head away as she starts to walk again, she just wants to leave, but two of the group run and block her way, using their phones to film her.  
“Look, I just want to find a dry place to rest”, Fareeha says, trying to stay as calm as possible, “Please.”  
“Wait, I have heard about people like you!”, the guy says, “Don’t you have wings as well?”  
“Wings?”, the woman exclaims before clapping her hands, “Show us!”

Fareeha shakes her head.  
“No, I’m sorry but I gotta go.”  
“Come oooon!”, one of the men with the phones groans, “You have to!”  
“They have to be on the back right?”, the guy says, pulling Fareeha’s blanket away, the tips of her wings now exposed from under her big hoodie. 

“Hey!”, Fareeha says, shoving him away before grabbing her blanket.  
She feels a pair of hands on her back.  
“Yo, Ich kann die fühlen! (Yo, I can feel them!)”

Her heart beats aggressively, making her feel the loud thumping throughout her whole body. She can feel it everywhere, from her chest to her knees and from her fingers to her claws and from her wings to her head.  
“Don’t touch me!”, Fareeha says, louder this time as she pushes the man, making him fall into a puddle that’s forming from the rain.  
Immediately she is pushed to the ground as well as the group shouts at her, probably swearing in german.

“Now don’t try anything stupid!”, the guy says, pulling out his own phone to record her, “Das wird so einschlagen (This is gonna blow up), look at those feet, that’s so fucking weird!”

Fareeha turns her body around, trying to crawl away when a kick to her ribs makes her cry out in pain.  
“Stop moving, I can’t focus the camera!”  
Her instincts tell her to do something, to spread her wings and to defend herself. They ache on her back, desperate to be free but the bandage and her clothes keep them trapped, straining against their cage.  
The mix of pain and humiliation combined with their ugly faces and laughter makes the woman snap.

With one of her claws she grabs the guy’s leg, the strong grip pulling on it to make him fall backwards and land on his back.  
He groans in pain as the others try to grab and hold onto Fareeha’s arms and legs, but she is too strong.  
Pulling one of her arms free she lands a punch on the guy to her right while her legs kick around, her long talons slicing through the attackers’ clothes and skin, making them scream. 

A fist connects with her face, but it doesn’t faze her.  
Fareeha sees red.  
Skillfully evading more hits, she grabs one of the men’s arm and throws his body over her shoulder while she kicks another one away. 

She is pushed to the wall of the building by another attacker. Just as he tries to headbutt her, she moves her head aside so his head hits the wall instead, making him stumble back before catching another punch to the face.

Realizing that she is a better fighter and way stronger than they expected, they are now the ones trying to fight her off. They try to get away but Fareeha is too fast, punishing every single one of them with her fists and her talons.

Once she reaches the guy with the phone in his hand who is still trying to get up from the ground, she places her claw on his neck, pressing down and strangling him.  
“S-Stop..”, he pants as he is being choked, trying to push her away but Fareeha doesn’t move away and only increases the pressure.

“Lass ihn los! (Let him go!)”, the woman screams at her, fear in her voice but Fareeha doesn’t listen.  
She looks directly into the man’s pleading eyes, who is desperately trying to breathe.

She is angry, angry at all of this. At this guy and his stupid group, at everyone in this city who looks at her with disgust, spitefulness or pity, as if she is a monster, at the military for using her naivety, at her mother for always telling her that things will be fine and mostly at herself and at her instincts for letting a dumb voice lure her into her ruin. 

She remembers the times in school where her classmates used to tease her, intentionally startling her to make her wings appear and to laugh at the embarrassed girl.  
She remembers the times at home where she sat in the bathroom, blood and feathers all over the floor as she stares at the knife in her hands with tears blurring her sight.  
She should have done it, cut the wings and live a normal life. 

“Bitte! (Please!)”, the woman cries, her sobs ripping Fareeha out of her thoughts and making her turn her head to look at her.  
With shaking hands the woman is holding her phone to her ear, tears streaming down her face.  
“Polizei? Ja, wir brauchen dringend Hilfe! (Police? Yes, we need your help!)”

Fareeha turns her head back towards the guy underneath her.  
His eyes are starting to roll back as his face is turning blue.  
She has seen this many times before. It only takes about five minutes to kill someone like this.  
Immediately Fareeha releases the grip, stepping away from the man who takes a deep breath before coughing violently.  
The woman rushes towards him, kneeling down and making sure he is okay.

Fareeha takes a few steps back, watching the group circle around the wheezing guy.  
“Fuck..”, she mutters quietly, her hands shaking.  
She could have killed him, and if nobody had interrupted her she probably would have.  
Anger now replaced by shock, she quickly grabs her things and starts to run, trying to get away as fast as possible.

-

The sun starts rising in the distance, little beams wandering over the edge of the horizon and landing on her face.  
Fareeha slowly opens her eyes, blinking at the sun before letting out a big yawn.

Last night’s rain left the streets covered in puddles, small drops still falling from trees and rooftops and the edge of the open dumpster lid Fareeha has slept under to shield herself from the weather.

Making sure the blanket is wrapped around her like a cape she crawls out of her cave, carefully looking around. No drunk people, no police. Good.

Slowly getting up she stretches her body which still aches from the fight, before she takes her backpack and leaves her sleeping place.  
She washes her face in the small fountain in the middle of the marketplace when suddenly the touch to her cheek makes her frown.  
Fareeha takes a closer look at her own reflection in the water and notices the bruise forming around her eye and the top of her cheek.

Letting out a sigh she splashes her face with the fountain water, careful not to touch it this time before she takes her things and makes her way to the corner of the marketplace.  
Here she can have a good look at the sunday market later on.

The weekly market opens every sunday when all the other shops are closed.  
Local farmers, bakers and other kinds of day vendors arrive in the early hours of the morning to put up their stands and to sell their wares directly to the people.  
There are a lot of things you can get, clothing, wine, flowers and most importantly, food.

Like every sunday, Fareeha watches the day go by as people from all over the city make their way to the market for some fresh vegetables, fish, cheese and other goods. To many people it’s a small family trip, they bring their children and their parents, they eat together and have a good time. It’s a nice thing.

After every long day, when the vendors start to put their things away, Fareeha walks along the stands, often finding some fruits and vegetables and sometimes some money that accidentally fell to the ground.  
Today she isn’t as lucky though. 

Almost reaching the end of the market where most vendors have already packed up, her eyes land on a tray of sweet pastries, next to a box with stacked eggs.  
Fareeha has to swallow hard as her mouth is starting to water from the smell of sugar and cinnamon.  
She glances to her left and right before walking closer to the tray.  
The buns are glazed with sugar, almost shining in the sun as their smell pulls Fareeha closer. 

“Entschuldigen sie, können sie mir kurz zur Hand gehen? (Excuse me, could you please lend me a hand?)”  
Fareeha freezes immediately, jumping away from the tray.

An old woman appears from behind the stacked eggs, smiling politely.  
“Sorry for bothering you, but could you please help me with this box?”, the woman asks with the sweetest voice possible, “My back isn’t the best anymore and I can’t really lift this alone. The people with their stands next to mine already left and now I have trouble packing my truck.”

“U-Um..”, Fareeha stutters. It was clear that the woman caught her, yet she smiles at her as bright as the sun. She hates herself for even thinking about stealing from this sweet woman. How could she?  
“Um, sure.”  
Picking up the box with the eggs from the table, she walks around the car to put it in the back.  
“Thank you, dear”, the woman says, letting out a relieved sigh, “That’s very kind of you.”  
“Not a problem”, Fareeha tells her with a half smile.

“Gute Frau, dürfen wir sie kurz etwas fragen? (Miss, can we ask you a quick question?)”  
Looking through the rear window of the car, Fareeha can see two policemen approaching the old woman. They pull out a piece of paper with something printed on it.  
“Haben sie diese obdachlose Frau gesehen? (Have you seen this homeless woman?)”

Fareeha’s heart skips a beat when she can see a screenshot of one of the guys’ videos they took of her last night.  
Immediately she drops to the ground, hiding behind the truck.  
No no no, this can’t happen!

She can’t run away, it would be too obvious, she needs to wait for the right moment.  
Peeking around the corner of the vehicle she can see the old woman looking at the paper, studying it carefully.

The policemen keep talking to her, probably explaining the situation and the woman nods slowly, listening carefully.  
This is it, Fareeha thinks.

After a few moments that feel like hours, the woman shakes her head, returning the paper to the policemen before shrugging.  
Fareeha is confused.  
Her body tense, ready to jump up and run any second is slowly starting to relax again as she realizes what is happening.  
The woman is protecting her?

The policemen leave without noticing Fareeha, letting her slide down the back of the car and releasing the breath she was holding.  
That was too damn close.

“You’re winged.”  
Fareeha turns her head to look at the woman in front of her who is studying her closely.  
“You have wings and claws, you defended yourself by using them.”  
Fareeha looks down at her exposed claws peeking out from underneath her blanket, quickly pulling them back.

“I should go, i’m very sorry..”, Fareeha mumbles, getting up from the ground, but the woman places her hand on her shoulder.  
“For how long have you been living on the street?”  
Fareeha looks at her but before she can say anything, the woman continues.  
“You need someone to take a look at that bruise on your face. And what about your wings? When was the last time you used them?”

“It’s been a while”, Fareeha tells her, “Look, I’m sorry that you had to lie to the police, I really appreciate what you did for me though. Thank you.”  
The woman smiles.  
“Nothing to thank me for. Please dear, what’s your name? I’m Gerda.”  
Fareeha returns the smile.  
“Nice to meet you Gerda. My name is Fareeha.”

Gerda nods slowly, deep in thought, Fareeha can tell.  
“Fareeha, why don’t you come with me?”  
The woman stares at her.  
“Come with you? What do you mean?”  
“I don’t live in the city. Every Sunday I drive here to attend the market, but my home is in the mountains. I’m not as young as I used to be and I could use the help. You’re young and you’re strong, it would make many things easier for me. You’d have a roof over your head, a bed, and a nice meal every evening.”

Fareeha keeps staring at her in disbelief. Is she being serious?  
No, she can’t accept that, how does she deserve that? What if Gerda feels obligated to take care of her? What if it’s only out of pity?  
The last thing she wants to do is burden the old woman. 

“We could give it a try”, Gerda says, smiling softly, “If you don’t feel comfortable at my house you can leave anytime.”  
“No it’s not that”, Fareeha tells her, shaking her head, “I just.. Are you sure..?”  
“You need help, Sweetheart”, Gerda says, “You’ve been through a lot, you don’t deserve it. You have a pure soul.”  
Fareeha looks at her.  
“How do you know that?”  
“I just know.”

Fareeha doesn’t want to cause any trouble for this sweet woman, she doesn’t want to become dependent on care, that’s not who she is.  
But looking into Gerda’s eyes and at her smile, she knows that she is being genuine. 

“What do you say?”

-

They have been driving for a little more than one and a half hours, leaving the busy city of Zürich behind to make their way towards the mountains in the distance. 

Looking out the open window, Fareeha notices the change of the environment and the buildings as they drive deeper and deeper into the alpine landscape. The towns get smaller the further they get, the houses look older and the air seems fresher than before.  
The roads are starting to become more winding as they make their way through the mountains, and with each corner they cross, another piece of the beautiful Swiss landscape reveals itself.

The breeze in her hair, the smell of the trees and the grass and the warmth of the setting sun on her face give Fareeha a feeling of serenity she has not experienced in years.  
She closes her eyes, enjoying the calmness of the moment. She is so calm, she doesn’t even notice how she is slowly starting to doze off in the warm light of the sunset.

“Almost home”, Gerda says, waking Fareeha from her peaceful nap. She rubs her eyes and lets out a quiet yawn before looking out of the window. It is already dark outside, but she can see houses and shops, all closed and only a few windows lit due to the time of the day.  
A marketplace, a pharmacy, a bakery, a church.  
They are driving through a small village.

After a few minutes the houses are replaced by trees and fields before Gerda’s car slows down to leave the main road and to follow a bumpy path into the dark woods.

The lack of street lamps on this forestry path and the huge firs make it seem like they are leaving the last bit of civilization the little village has to offer as they drive deeper into the darkness, only the headlights allowing them to see if they are staying on track.  
It almost feels like an eternity before Fareeha can see the sky again, but as soon as she does, she is mesmerized by the sight.

She knows that it doesn’t make sense, but it feels like she is closer to the sky than she has ever been before. There is no single cloud to be seen, only a beautiful moon and stars as bright and big as if she could reach out and touch them.

The car approaches a building in the middle of a field. In the light of the moon Fareeha can see that it’s a half-timbered farm house, made out of wood and stone with a vegetable and herb garden in the front and a barn in the back.  
It’s the only house in this area, no other building in sight.

Gerda parks the car in front of the house, stepping out and stretching her back.  
“Here we are.”  
Fareeha takes a closer look as she gets out as well.  
It has exposed wooden construction beams with large brackets, a few small balconies and decorative carving and moldings along the doors and the windows.  
A beautiful house.

She turns her head when she hears Gerda starting to unload the back of her truck, trying to carry the heavy boxes with the leftovers from today’s market. Quickly Fareeha makes her way over to the woman to take the boxes from her hands, earning a thankful smile.

“Thanks dear”, she says before making her way towards the door, fiddling for the keys in her pocket.  
She opens the door and steps inside, turning on the light before she takes of her shoes.  
“Just put the box next to the door, I’ll take care of that tomorrow.”

Fareeha steps into the house, forgetting about the box in her hand as she observes the inside.  
What a cozy place this is.  
As soon as you enter the room you are hit with a feeling of homeliness and comfort. Soft couches and an old but comfortable looking armchair, a small but very cute fireplace, a beautifully carved wooden staircase leading upstairs and an overall sense of coziness.

“Come on, let me take that blanket”, Gerda says, carefully pulling the dirty blanket from Fareeha’s shoulders and folding it before heading towards the kitchen, “Would you like a tea?”  
Fareeha finally places the box down, still in awe of Gerda’s home.  
“It’s so beautiful”, she says, still looking around.  
It looks so different to the houses she has visited before.

“If you want to you can take a bath”, Gerda tells her, getting two small porcelain cups from the shelf, “There’s a guest room upstairs where you can put your things, i’ll be right there with tea and fresh clothes, okay?”  
“O-Okay..”, Fareeha says with a small nod, before she slowly starts walking up the stairs.  
She tries her best to be careful and not to scratch the wooden steps with her talons.

“Turn left and at the end of the corridor, that’s the guest room!”, Gerda shouts from downstairs.  
Fareeha walks towards the last door and enters the room.  
It’s a small room, small but very cozy.  
Turning on the light at the bedside table, she can get a better look.

Due to the roof, there is a pitch in the ceiling, which is supported by a big beam in the middle of the room, looking like the beams she could also see on the outside of the house.  
To her right is a wooden bed with decorative carvings, a thick plaid blanket and big pillows. Further on the right is a small wooden wardrobe and a dresser, both in the same typically Swiss design as the bed. The wall in front of her has a window and a door leading to a small balcony. On her left is another window in the roof pitch, with a desk and chair underneath, where Fareeha places her backpack.

She walks over to the door and steps outside onto the balcony. Immediately she is hit again with the fresh mountain air and the beautiful stars. Her face is glued to the sky, in disbelief how she has never really cherished its beauty before. She takes a deep breath before exhaling slowly, a small smile forming on her face.

“The water is running”, Gerda says as she enters the room, making Fareeha turn her head. Gerda walks towards the wardrobe and opens it.  
“These belonged to my husband, I’m sure you’re to tall for my clothes”, Gerda says as she reaches for a small pile of folded clothes before letting out a small giggle, “I bet you wouldn’t want to wear my clothes anyway.”

She places the pile on the bed before picking up a red flannel that was on the top.  
“There, that should fit”, she says, holding it in front of Fareeha, “Perfect.”  
She hands it over to her, who smiles gratefully.  
“This is very nice, thank you!”

“Oh there are so many clothes my husband used to wear that I have left”, Gerda says with a small chuckle, “I’ll look through them and just leave them here on the bed for you while you take a bath. Take the shirt and um.. This.. aaand that!”  
She hands her a pair of pajamas and clean underwear, also a pair of socks and a t-shirt.  
“The bathroom is the room right next door. You can take all the towels you need.”

Fareeha nods, balancing the clothes in her hand before she walks out the room.  
“Thank you.”  
She still can’t believe that this is happening. A little old woman, not only kind enough to help her, but to also take her home and give her a roof over her head.  
How does she deserve this?

She enters the bathroom where the tub is still filling with steaming water.  
She turns off the faucet before she notices the many bubbles on the surface.  
“Smells like roses.”  
Smiling softly she places the clothes on a stool next to the tub before she reaches for the edge of her hoodie, slowly starting to pull it up.

A gut-wrenching scream interrupts Gerda from folding clothes, making her jump up and rush to the bathroom.  
“Fareeha?”

She walks into the bathroom to the sight of the woman stuck in her hoodie as the bandage she used to wear to keep her wings tied to her back is now on the floor, letting the wings fall out.  
One of them is stuck to the hoodie while the other one seems to droop and shake whenever Fareeha tries to lift it.  
Every little movement Fareeha makes to remove her hoodie results in an excruciating scream as tears are starting to fall from her face.  
She has never experienced this kind of pain before.

Years of restricted blood flow and not moving her wings at all resulted in her muscles to grow weak, not even able to lift her wings at all. Every single movement hurts and feels like someone is ripping them apart.  
Fareeha sobs as she tries to free her shaky wings from her clothes, which makes the pain even worse.

Worry written all over her face, Gerda rushes to her side, trying to help her out of the hoodie.  
“It’s okay, it’s okay”, she reassures her, “Here, let me just..”  
Fareeha lets out another scream as the part of the clothing that kept her right wing from falling is removed by Gerda, making the wing drop and hang next to the other one.  
The winged woman falls down to her knees, the pain making her feel dizzy as more sobs leave her mouth.

“Seems like you haven’t moved your wings a lot lately”, Gerda murmurs, kneeling down next to her as she observes the shaking wings. They almost look a little deformed, her feathers fringed and ruffled.  
“When was the last time you stretched them?”  
“A few years?”, Fareeha mutters, almost whimpering.  
Gerda’s eyes widen.  
“A few years??”

She carefully lifts her left wing, moving it as slow as possible to not cause Fareeha any more pain.  
The woman hisses, squeezing her eyes shut.  
“That doesn’t look good”, Gerda murmurs, lifting the other wing as well so they are folded on her back again, “The bandage was way too tight and the lack of movement lead to your muscular atrophy.”

Fareeha looks at the old woman, wiping away a tear.  
“How do you know..?”  
“My husband used to be a falconer, he worked a lot with birds of prey and treated their wings as well.”  
She slowly lowers the wings again so they are resting on the ground.  
“Can you lift them on your own?”

The wings start to shake again as Fareeha tries to lift them, more tears forming in the corner of her eyes.  
“It hurts so badly.”  
Gerda nods.  
“Okay, we definitely need to work on that, we’re not gonna damage them any further. I have to bandage them at night though so you don’t move them incorrectly and make it worse.”

Fareeha nods.  
“O-okay.”  
Wiping her nose she carefully gets up from the ground, her weak wings lowered.  
“Take a bath, dear. Call me afterwards and I’ll bandage them for you. Tomorrow I’ll take a closer look, okay?”  
Fareeha nods again.  
“Yes, thank you Gerda.”  
The old woman rubs her shoulder, smiling softly.  
“I promise it’ll get better. You have my word.”

-

“I promise it’ll get better”, Ana says, using a washcloth to wash her daughter’s bloody feathers, “But you have to promise me something as well, Habibti. Promise me to never do such a thing again, you hear me?”  
The seven year old nods slowly, using her arm to wipe her face from tears and snot.  
“I promise.”

“Don’t let their words get to you”, Ana says, looking at the little girl sitting between her legs.  
“Why am I so different?”, Fareeha asks quietly, looking down at her hands.  
“You’re not different”, Ana says, stroking Fareeha’s wings lovingly.  
“They treat me differently though”, Fareeha says, trying to turn around.  
“Hold still”, Ana mutters, keeping her in place so she can reach the feathers closest to her back.

“I don’t wanna be like this..”, Fareeha whispers, “I never asked for wings, it’s not fair. I wanna be like the others.”  
“But you aren’t like the others”, Ana says, finally putting the washcloth away, “You are Fareeha Amari. You are you, and I’m so proud to have a girl like you in my life.”

Fareeha turns her head, looking up at her mother who runs her hand through her hair, stroking it softly.  
“You are so beautiful”, Ana continues, “Smart, creative.. sometimes a little reckless.”  
She pokes Fareeha’s sides, making the girl giggle.  
“Yes, you can be a true pain in my butt!”, Ana says, tickling Fareeha who starts to laugh, throwing herself on her back and trying to kick herself free.  
“A pain in your big mom butt!”, Fareeha exclaims between giggles.

Ana chuckles, grabbing Fareeha’s ankles to stop her from kicking.  
Her eyes land on Fareeha’s claws in front of her face, making her frown slightly for a split second, a mix of worry and guilt on her face.  
Before Fareeha can lift her upper body to notice it, the frown is replaced by a warm smile.

“Little bird..”, Ana mutters, pulling her daughter towards her to hold her in her arms, “Please promise me to never change who you are.”  
Fareeha snuggles closer to her, resting her head on Ana’s chest as she plays with strands of her hair.  
“Okay.”  
“Good.”  
Ana kisses the top of Fareeha’s head before she starts to stroke her back.  
“I love you so much Habibti, never forget that.”  
“I won’t”, she mutters into her mother’s chest, “I love you too.”

-

“I love you, mom”, Fareeha mumbles, looking at the photo in her hand, which she has kept for many years.  
A picture of her mother that was taken right before her last mission.

Her hair has a few gray streaks in it and there are small wrinkles at the corner of her eyes, but her smile has never changed.  
This is how she remembers her. 

She places the photo on the nightstand, before she turns of the light.

“Everything will be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe everyone, don’t go on big parties and wash your hands you filthy animals! (jk, I love you.)
> 
> xx Caro :)


	3. Feel the power grow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallihallo nerds, new chapter is FINALLY here! Took me longer than I thought, but well, I actually had less free time than expected, even during quarantine.
> 
> Maybe you have noticed, I changed the amount of chapters, cause after writing this one I’m sure the rest of the story won’t fit in one chapter as I had originally planned. Let’s hope I’ll stay focused!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one and thanks for the nice comments you guys left :)

A soft knock on the door.  
Fareeha turns in her bed.  
Another knock.

The woman stretches her body, slowly opening her eyes.  
In the first moments she doesn’t remember where she is. She knows she’s in a bed, spooning a big pillow and covered with the softest blanket she could ever imagine. The window in the pitch of the roof reveals a dark sky.  
It’s still night, probably early morning.

Fareeha jumps a little when the door next to the bed opens slowly and Gerda peeks inside.

Gerda, right. She’s at Gerda’s house.  
Yesterday wasn’t just a dream, this old woman really took her home with her.

“Good morning”, Gerda whispers.  
Fareeha tries to stifle a yawn as she rubs her eyes.  
“Morning.. “  
“I’m sorry for waking you”, Gerda keeps whispering, “I have a surprise for you, but I can only show you if we go now. If you’re too tired I’ll let you sleep though, we don’t have to go if you’re too exhausted.”

Go? Go where?  
Now she is curious.  
Fareeha sits up, but before she can even answer, her stomach starts growling.

Gerda chuckles quietly.  
“I’ll wait downstairs, bring your hunger along. I prepared some breakfast for the way.”

-

“Is it good?”  
“Really good!”

Fareeha takes another bite of her second cheese and jam sandwich, humming happily.  
It is her first real meal after a long time and she couldn’t have imagined it any better.  
Gerda chuckles at Fareeha’s satisfied smile.  
“That’s nice to hear.”

The sky is slowly starting to become a little lighter as they walk along a path between big open fields, continuously making their way up the hill.  
Fareeha’s wings are free again, hanging next to her body and brushing the high grass. The tips of her wings are touching the ground collecting dirt, but at least it doesn’t hurt.

“You still haven’t told me about yourself, Fareeha”, Gerda says, “For how long have you been living on the street?”  
“Couple of years”, Fareeha tells her between bites, “I couldn’t find a job. I don’t speak German and most people are intimidated by.. the obvious.”

“Why did you go to Zürich?”, Gerda asks, “I mean, if you don’t speak German you probably were not born there. Where are you from?”  
“I’ve lived in different places before I came to Switzerland”, Fareeha says, finishing her sandwich, “I was born in Egypt and spent most of my childhood there. I was in the military for a few years, they said they could use people like me there.”

Fareeha’s expression changes.  
“There was an accident, during an attack and..”  
Gerda frowns, listening silently.  
“They said my wings wouldn’t be useful anymore. They wanted to amputate them. I just.. I don’t even know why I disagreed but, I just couldn’t let them go through with it.”

Fareeha swallows hard.  
“Sometimes I wish I would have. My life would have been so different and now here I am.. A flightless cripple.”  
She stops in her tracks, facing the ground as memories come flooding into her head.  
The helicopter, how she came down with it and the crash.  
The visuals are so clear as if it happened yesterday.

Gerda approaches her slowly.  
“You have my word that I will do anything in my power to help you, dear”, she says, standing right in front of her so she has to look at her face, “Your wings will be fine, you will fly again.”  
Fareeha sighs.  
“And even if you won’t”, Gerda continues, taking Fareeha’s hand, “You have a safe space now. If you want to stay or not, my door will be open for you.”  
Fareeha is deeply touched. 

“Thank you, Gerda”, she says with a small smile, “.. Can I give you a hug?”  
Gerda chuckles softly.  
“Of course, Sweetheart.”  
She wraps her arms around her, holding the old woman in a warm embrace.  
Patting her back, carefully not to touch her wings, Gerda starts to move away again to look up at her.  
“I’m still very convinced that I will see you in the sky again, one day.”

As they continue to walk along the path, Fareeha takes a deep breath, shaking her head and shoulders to snap out of her melancholic thoughts.  
“Well, that’s all about me I guess.”  
“Wait wait wait”, Gerda intervenes, “Why did you choose Switzerland though? You haven’t answered that question yet.”

Fareeha chuckles softly.  
“It was.. not a very reasonable decision. I didn’t think it through and that got me to the point where I landed on the street.”  
“What happened?”, Gerda asks.

The winged woman shakes her head, chuckling to herself, but deep inside she can feel a familiar feeling of disappointment and pain rising to her chest.  
“Um.. It’s supposed to be some kind of ‘winged-people-thing’”, she says, making air quotes, “Something about instinct, that’s what my mom told me. I heard a voice singing some melody and I guess it kinda got to me.”

She lets out a short laugh.  
“It’s ridiculous, really..”  
“No no no, tell me!”, Gerda insists, “I think I have read about something like that before. It’s not ridiculous to follow your instinct.”  
Fareeha moves her head from side to side, shrugging slightly.  
“Well, whatever it was, it’s gone now”, she tells her, “Once I got here, the voice never returned. I never heard her again.”

Gerda nods slowly, noticing the tone of sadness in Fareeha’s voice.  
“Maybe you’ll hear her again someday.”  
“I don’t think so”, Fareeha says, forming a small smile, “But that’s fine, really. I have accepted it.”

The old woman nods again, figuring that it’s probably for the best to not ask any further.  
She switches her attention from Fareeha to the top of the hill in front of them.  
“We’re almost there, we gotta hurry so we don’t miss it.”

They take the final steps up the hill, Gerda almost out of breath when they finally reach the top. Fareeha holds her arm for support, making sure the old woman is alright, but Gerda tells her that she is completely fine.

“I come up here many mornings”, she says, “Whenever I need a little boost, it really helps.”  
She looks at the horizon, smiling to herself.  
“It should start any second, we haven’t missed it yet.”  
Fareeha follows her gaze into the distance where the sky has already started to turn a yellow color.

After a few short moments a bright light crosses the horizon as the sun starts to rise.  
Fareeha has to squint her eyes at first, still getting used to the light sun.

It travels down her body to the ground, down the grass on the hill and through the trees. Along the slopes of the mountains, on the rooftops of the small villages and the water of the lakes and rivers.  
In just a few minutes the whole valley is immersed in the light of the rising sun, revealing itself to Fareeha in its full beauty for the first time.

Her face lights up with everything around her, a big smile starting to form in the corners of her mouth.  
She is just in awe of what she is seeing.  
In all of the years she has spent in Switzerland, she has never seen something like this before.  
It takes her breath away.

“Welcome home”, Gerda says, carefully rubbing Fareeha’s back when she sees her big grin.  
“It’s so stunning..”, Fareeha mutters under her breath, shaking her head in disbelief.

A few birds fly over their heads, along the hills and into the valley.  
A small breeze brushes Fareeha’s face, her hair moving with the wind as she looks after them. 

The houses, the lakes, everything looks so small from up here.  
For the first time in what feels like an eternity, Fareeha feels like she is back in the sky again, soaring through the heights and looking down at the earth underneath her.  
She misses this feeling.

Without even noticing, her wings start to rise from the ground, high enough so the wind gets trapped and pushes them open.

Fareeha winces loudly, her eyes wide open in shock and pain before she drops to the ground so her wings can fall again.  
Immediately Gerda is by her side, taking a closer look at the trembling woman and inspecting her wings closely.

-

Fareeha hisses as Gerda carefully lifts the outstretched wing above her shoulder.  
“I’m sorry, Sweetheart”, the old woman says, before slowly placing it back down.

Laying on a big table, her back exposed so Gerda can have better access, Fareeha tries her best to keep it together while her wings are being examined.  
She knows that Gerda is being as careful as possible, but it still hurts like a bitch.

“Okay, I think I know what the problem is”, she says, repositioning her glasses, “The whole shoulder area of the wings is completely messed up.”  
Fareeha turns her head, trying her best to look at her.  
“Messed up? In what way?”

Gerda uses her fingers to knead the area around the wings.  
Fareeha tries her best not to bite down too hard, groaning at the pain.

“I’m guessing that during the accident, the blow you received tore the muscle connections from the shoulder part of your wings and detached them. It happened to a few falcons and eagles we took in after they’ve been hit by a car or something similar. Everything in that area contributes to the wing movement and the muscles allowed you to lift them.”

Fareeha nods slowly, trying to remember the time she was in the hospital.  
“.. But Gerda. I could move my wings after the accident”, she tells her, confusion written all over her face, “I’m a hundred percent sure of that. They didn’t hurt at all.”

Gerda chuckles slightly.  
“Well yeah, of course you could. Your wings weren’t in the state they are in now.”  
With that she gently pats the weak muscles of Fareeha’s wings.  
“You said you used your wings in the military, right? Your muscles were strong, you trained them.”  
Fareeha nods slowly.

“You also said you kept your wings tied to your back for years, “Gerda continues, “That definitely was not the healthiest way for your wings, you know?”  
Fareeha keeps nodding.  
“Yeah..”  
“The bandage was way too tight and the way you kept your wings folded lead to your muscles to heal ‘the wrong way’. The new connections are fine as long as your wings are closed, but they don’t even have the strength to stay closed without being bandaged. And that’s why it hurts so much.”

What Gerda is saying does make sense.  
With her help, Fareeha sits up as carefully as possible to not hurt her wings any further, which now hang on both sides of the table.

“Is there a way to fix them?”  
“Well, it will take some time but yeah, i’m very sure we can get them in a better state again.”  
Gerda smiles reassuringly, giving Fareeha new hope.  
“From now on your wings won’t be tied up anymore, not on my watch. You have to train them, but don’t overdo it. Patience is key.”

Fareeha nods slowly but still does not completely understand.  
“After the accident I was told that I would not be able to fly again.. How are you so sure that I will?”  
“Oh that’s very easy”, Gerda says, looking directly at her, “Were those doctors experienced avian vets?”  
The woman shakes her head.  
“Well, no.”  
Gerda raises her brow, a small smirk forming on her face.  
“There you have it.”

-

“If you need any help, just shout!”  
“No need, but thanks!”

After the examination, Fareeha asked Gerda if there were any chores around the house with which she could help her.  
Gerda told her that she has spent the last ten years doing everything on her own and that she would be fine, but the woman insisted.  
She wanted to work for her shelter, no matter how small or big the task. 

Now Fareeha finds herself in the barn next to the house, wearing a pair of old dungarees where her wings could be free and carrying a big and empty basket.  
In front of her she sees rows of clucking chickens sitting in their hay nests, a few walking around, a few just staring back at her.  
Fareeha nods to herself, smiling confidently.  
She can totally do that.

The first thing she is supposed to do is open the gate at the back of the barn so the chickens can walk around outside.  
Walking past the observing looks of the animals, she moves the sliding bolt so she can open the big door.  
Immediately every single chicken jumps up, running past and through Fareeha’s legs into the sunshine, making the woman chuckle.  
“That was easy.”

Fareeha walks along the rows of hay, where the chickens seemed to be sitting during the night.  
Every now and then she finds fresh eggs which she places in her basket.

She could totally do that every morning, it would be a nice little ritual and give Gerda more time to herself. Also, every egg she finds feels like a little reward, making her hungry for a nice breakfast omelette she could make for both of them after she is done. 

Quietly humming to herself she gets the ladder from the entrance of the barn to look for eggs on the higher row.  
It is held together by lots of crooked nails and squeaks under Fareeha’s weight, only used to holding Gerda’s small and fragile body.  
On her way up Fareeha’s pants get stuck to the nails several times, but once she’s at the top, she finds even more nests with eggs, making her smile.

She places all of the eggs in the basket, where a nice pile is starting to form. Gerda had to do this all by herself every day and Fareeha is glad that she can help, even if it’s just with the chickens.

She doesn’t notice the other pile underneath her. Without realizing, one of the nails ripped a hole in a bigger pocket of her dungarees in which she kept all the food for the chickens, which is now spilling out and onto the ground.  
In a matter of seconds at least half of the many chickens are surrounding the ladder, furiously pecking the seeds from the ground and clucking wildly.

Fareeha turns her head, her eyes wide when she finds herself surrounded by the flock.  
“Okaaaay, I’m just gonna.. get riiight between you guys..”  
Muttering quietly, Fareeha climbs down the ladder and carefully tries to place her foot between the hyper chickens, without accidentally hurting them with her talons.

Instead of Fareeha hurting them, their pecking becomes even more uncoordinated and the chickens end up hurting her instead, their peaks continuously hitting her claws.  
“Ow ow ow!”, Fareeha exclaims, trying to tiptoe through the birds and to balance the basket with the eggs at the same time.

She almost squishes a chicken underneath her, which yelps in indignation and pecks her lower leg for revenge.  
“Sorry-.. ow!”

When she finally makes it out of the barn, she takes a deep breath before sighing in relief.  
Looking into the basket she sees that all the eggs are still safe and sound, smirking to herself in victory.  
She did it.

Before she can make her way back towards the house, she sees that Gerda is already outside, loading the last box into the back of her truck.  
“You should have told me you were heaving them in there!”, Fareeha tells her as she approaches the old woman, “I could have helped.”  
“Don’t worry, Sweetheart, I managed”, Gerda says, patting the boxes on the truck bed, “I’m all ready to go down the mountain. Wanna join me?”

-

The ride down the mountain into the village is a whole new experience for Fareeha.  
Now that she can’t fold and tie up her wings anymore, she has to sit on the truck bed in the back together with the boxes filled with all the goods Gerda has to deliver.  
She has to hold onto the car whenever the road gets bumpier and make sure everything stays in place, but it feels very nice to feel the sun and the fresh air on her body.

After a short ride they reach the village and Gerda’s truck slows down to drive through the small street.  
It’s not a big village, yet there are many people walking around. Young people, old people, families with their kids, drinking a coffee and eating breakfast at a roadside café, buying food at the small supermarket or simply just taking a morning stroll.

The truck stops for a quick moment to let an old couple cross the street. That’s the first moment where Fareeha realizes the situation she’s in.

As the vehicle is standing still, the people pass the truck at a slower pace, allowing everyone to see the contents in the back, including her.  
Some people only glance, while some of them look in wonder as soon as they see the big pair of wings.  
A few old ladies start whispering with each other, as a little boy doesn’t even try to be quiet.

“Mama, wieso hat sie Flügel? (Mom, why does she have wings?)”  
His mother pushes him to go forward.  
“Sei leise, das ist nicht nett. Und hör auf zu starren! (Be quiet, that’s not nice. And stop staring!)”  
“Kann ich Flügel haben? (Can I have wings?)”  
Fareeha tries to make herself a small as possible, feeling uncomfortable under all the eyes looking at her.

The truck starts moving again, only to pass two corners and to stop again at a shop that seems to be a bakery.  
Gerda steps out of the car and walks to the back to get the boxes.

“Can you hand me these boxes, Fareeha.”  
“Wait, I got it”, she says, getting down the truck bed and taking the boxes Gerda is pointing at, “I can carry these.”  
Gerda smiles thankfully.  
“That’s so nice of you. I’ll show you where to go.”

Fareeha nods, holding each box in one arm as she follows her into the bakery, where Gerda is holding the door open for her.  
“Come in, come in..”  
Immediately Fareeha is hit with the smell of something sweet baking in the oven.  
All kinds of baked goods are on display, shelves full of cookies and pastries, beautiful cakes, bread, rolls and even croissants, making her mouth water.

“Guten Morgen, Gerda! (Good morning!)”, a woman shouts from behind the counter, making Fareeha turn her head away from the food.  
Gerda smiles, walking past the counter to give her a hug.  
“Morgen, Ella!”, she greets her, “Immer so fleißig, das riecht ja richtig gut! (Always so hardworking, this smells so good!)”  
“Morgens ist der größte Andrang, das weißt du ja. (There’s always a crowd in the morning, you know it.)”

The woman, who Fareeha believes to be named Ella, turns her head to look at her.  
She seems to be in her mid thirties, maybe a little younger, looking just as nice and sweet as Gerda.  
“Und wer ist das, wenn ich fragen darf? (And who is that if I may ask?)”

Fareeha doesn’t know what to say as the woman approaches her.  
“That’s my helping hand”, Gerda tells her, “She lives with me and helps me with all the chores and the deliveries, she’s much stronger than me.”  
“Oooh”, Ella says with a friendly smile, “Nice to meet you, my name is Ella.”  
“Fareeha”, Fareeha tells her.

She sees how Ella’s eyes land on her wings and her claws for just a second before she looks back at her face.  
“That’s a pretty name, I haven’t heard that one before”, she says, before she takes one of the boxes from her and places it behind the counter, “It’s very nice of you to help my dear friend Gerda, i’m glad she doesn’t have to do all the work on her own.”

“It’s very nice of Gerda that she even gave me this chance”, Fareeha thinks, but she doesn’t want to hit this woman with her whole life story, so instead she just nods.  
“I hope to make at least a few things easier for her.”  
“Well, I have to admit I’m kinda jealous”, Ella says, chuckling to herself”, With those wings the deliveries will be the quickest ones in the whole town! Tell me Gerda, can I borrow Fareeha from time to time? We would be the fastest bakery delivery service in the country!”

Fareeha doesn’t really know how to handle the whole situation.  
Ella is laughing, she mentioned the wings and now she is laughing. Why is she laughing? She can’t see a single speck of deviousness in her face though.  
“We are working on those wings to get her back in the air first”, Gerda says, taking the other box from Fareeha, “I know for sure she will fly again, but it’ll take some time.”

Ella stops laughing, yet her smile remains.  
“Well, I wish you all the best and lots of strength for the time it takes!”  
Fareeha nods slowly, not believing how casually and supportive she is talking about this.  
“Thank you.”

Gerda and Ella talk about more stuff in German, giving Fareeha a little more time to herself and to look around.  
This bakery is so cozy, most of the furniture is wooden, just like in Gerda’s place. There are framed pictures of Ella and a few employees, of the little village and some events that must have happened.

Before Gerda walks to the entrance of the shop and opens the door to leave, Ella approaches Fareeha again.  
“I know it must have sounded silly when I said it, but I mean it”, she tells her, wanting to place a hand on Fareeha’s shoulder, but deciding against it so she doesn’t invade her personal space, “If you want to earn some additional money of your own, you can come to me and help here at the bakery as well. And not only if your wings work again, just.. anytime, okay?”

Fareeha looks at Ella’s sweet smile, a small one appearing on her own face as well.  
“Oh wow..”, she mutters with a little chuckle, “Well.. Sure! I’ll think about it.. Thank you so much.”

Gerda places her hand on Fareeha’s back, before smiling at her friend.  
“Danke dir, Ella. Bis spätestens nächste Woche! (Thank you, Ella. See you by next week at latest!)”  
“Wiedersehen! (Bye!)”, Ella says as she waves after them.

The duo gets back into the truck, Gerda in the front and Fareeha in the back before they continue their deliveries. Gerda has many friends in the village, many of them owning their own shops where she brings her eggs, vegetables and herbs. She tells Fareeha that she even sells pumpkins in the fall. 

They visit more shops, cafés and restaurants where every owner greets Gerda with a bright smile and open arms.  
All of Gerda’s friends, every single one of them, treats Fareeha with respect and wants to get to know her. They are all so friendly, she can’t really believe it.

“I only befriend good people, people with a good heart”, Gerda says when Fareeha talks about her thoughts.  
“You seem to have a fine taste in people”, Fareeha tells her through the window in the back of the truck so Gerda can hear her while they are driving.

She can see Gerda’s eyes in the rearview mirror, the wrinkles in the corners deepening as she smiles softly.  
“I do”, the old woman says, “It’s the same reason why I befriended you, dear.”

-

Fareeha is adjusting well to the life in the mountains.  
She still helps Gerda with the chores and adopted the role as the chicken shepherd with pride, going into the barn every morning to feed them and to collect the eggs.

She also helps with harvesting the vegetables and herbs in the garden, spending hours and hours to make sure every plant is in the perfect position and getting the nutrition it needs. Lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes and more aren’t just things they sell in the village, they also make a great dinner in the evening.  
Gerda is a great cook and doesn’t end a single evening without both of them eating together after a long day of hard work.

Every two weeks on a Sunday Gerda drives all the way to Zürich to attend the market where she met Fareeha. These days Fareeha makes her way down the village to work at Ella’s bakery, earning herself some money to buy the things she wants. 

Ella is a good person, teaching Fareeha how to form the dough, how long the different breads have to stay in the oven and how they are supposed to be displayed.  
Besides being a mentor, Ella is very talkative yet patient friend who knows how to listen. Every break they chat and drink coffee, almost forgetting the time. Fareeha is very thankful for the opportunity she gave her.

Whenever Gerda and Fareeha have some free time, they work on Fareeha’s wings, training the muscles and making sure they are moving correctly.  
The pain becomes less and less severe and after a few months, Fareeha can fold them again so they no longer have to hang besides her body.  
Finally her wings don’t slide along the ground of the bakery anymore, so she doesn’t have to pat all the flour out of them every evening.

Gerda is proud how well her fosterling is doing, how strong she is getting and how much happier she seems.  
She is aware that Fareeha is the one who is responsible for her own happiness, and it fills her with joy that she can provide her with the support she needs.

As she watches how Fareeha flaps her wings in order to shake off the dirt that got on them while she was working in the soil of the vegetable garden, Gerda knows that she is ready.

-

“Are you really sure..?”, Fareeha asks carefully, turning her head to look at the old woman behind her who nods reassuringly.  
“Give it a try, Sweetheart. You are strong and so are your wings.”

They are standing at the top of the mountain where they can admire the view of the valley.  
It’s a beautiful day, not too cloudy and nicely warm. The wind is present but not too strong, just a soft breeze that’s running through Fareeha’s hair and feathers.

Her heart is racing.  
This is it, her first attempt after so many years.  
She swallows hard before taking a deep breath which is shakier than she expected.  
“Fuck..”, she whispers silently, realizing how nervous she is.

“You don’t have to go up right from the start, try gliding first, okay?”, Gerda says.

-

“Come on, calm down habibti.”  
Ana chuckles slightly, trying to make her hyperactive daughter stand still for just a second.

“This day is perfect for practicing. You want to be able to fly right?”  
“Yes!”, little Fareeha exclaims, jumping up and down with excitement.  
“Good, then you have to listen to me okay?”, Ana says with a firm but calm voice.  
“Okay”, Fareeha agrees with a nod, stretching out her arms like an airplane and running around in circles.

Ana shakes her head at the five year old, her smile remaining.  
“Now come here and concentrate”, she says, grabbing the girl with both hands so she has to stand still, making Fareeha giggle.  
“Calm down”, she repeats, taking a deep breath and mentioning for Fareeha to do the same.

“You have to use your wings, not your arms.”  
“I know, silly!”, the young girl says, crossing her arms, “I was making a joke.”  
“Well you got me there”, Ana says, patting Fareeha’s head before kneeling down besides her.  
She makes her turn around so they are both looking downhill from where they are standing.

“Look”, Ana says, gently running her hand through Fareeha’s feathers and making sure her wings are stretched out. Now that all the baby fluff between the feathers is gone, Ana knows that it’s time for her to learn.  
“The hill is not that steep”, she continues, “but still, try not to trip and hurt yourself. You have to move your wings just like I showed you and then when you feel some wind in them, try to jump and keep flapping them.”

Fareeha nods as she listens carefully, her curiosity finally allowing her to actually pay attention to what her mom is saying.

“Your first goal is not to go up in the sky”, Ana explains, using her hand to show the motion she is talking about, “Try to stay more like this. Just glide. Okay?”  
“Okay”, Fareeha replies with a nod, slowly flapping her wings while she is still standing with Ana.

“Good girl”, Ana says, kissing the top of Fareeha’s head before patting her back, “You can do it habibti, and if it doesn’t work right away, we’ll just try again.”

-

Fareeha remembers how her mom taught her to fly.  
She never experienced flight herself, yet she always knew what to say and how to explain the movements to her, no matter how much of a pain in the ass it was to keep her young self calm.

She stretches her wings, slowly, feeling the soft breeze stroke each single feather.  
Carefully moving her wings up and down, she tests the ability of her muscles. There’s no more pain, no more restriction.  
The months of correct posture and training really did its magic.

With one last glance she wants to get Gerda’s approval. The old woman nods at her, her face calm yet determined.  
It gives Fareeha the last bit of reassurance she needs.  
She can do this.

Controlling her breathing and adjusting her wing movement to the rhythm she starts running down the hill.  
It’s a wide field, giving Fareeha enough space before the hill actually ends in a cliff.

As she is running she can feel the wind collecting in her wings. With a small jump she tries to glide, but before she can even start, her feet reconnect with the ground immediately.  
“Higher”, she thinks.  
Looking around the field for a better spot, she finds a small bump in the ground. Maybe this will be enough. 

As soon as she reaches the bump she jumps again.  
This time her wings carry her for a good ten meters before she meets the ground again.  
Fareeha smiles, her heart beating wildly.  
It works!

From the top of the hill she can hear Gerda cheering and shouting something, but Fareeha can’t understand her. The mix of adrenaline and her loud pulse overtone every sense.

Another bump, she jumps again, fifteen meters.  
A bigger jump, twenty meters.  
Fareeha’s smile grows even more, chuckling to herself in disbelief.

In the distance she sees a big rock between the grass.  
Her joy turns into determination.  
She can do this, she knows she can.

Before she reaches the rock everything seems to happen in slow motion.  
She jumps just in the right moment, steadily gliding towards the top of the rock. As soon as her claws can touch the stone underneath her, she pushes herself off even further, this time using all the strength she has to move her wings in one strong stroke.

She faces into the wind as she pushes herself up into the air, using another big stroke to gain height.  
The feeling Fareeha is experiencing is almost indescribable.  
It feels so strange yet so familiar.  
She feels light but still so strong, she feels powerful.  
Fareeha feels freed.

She unconsciously stretches her wings even further than before, like second nature, as she glides through the air.  
All of a sudden it feels so easy, her body is doing the work without even thinking about it.

-

“I’m flying, mom!”, little Fareeha shouts happily, flapping her wings as she takes a few turns in the air before flying towards her mother, “I can fly!”

“Yes you can!”, Ana says as she catches her mid-air, “You did it! I’m so proud of you, habibti!”

-

Fareeha leans into the wind, her wings now completely stretched out and carrying her over the hill. She looks down at the the grass and the flowers passing underneath her at a high speed, her shadow always trying to catch up. 

Closing her eyes for just a brief moment she takes a few even breaths, making sure she is really processing what is happening.  
Her senses now even higher than before, she can feel the muscles in her wings, how every single feather contributes to her being lifted from the ground and how just the slightest movement affects her flight.

This is what true inner harmony must feel like.

When Fareeha opens her eyes again, she finds herself way past the edge of the hill, over the cliffs and hundreds of meters up in the air.  
She completely forgot that she started on the top of a mountain and the village underneath her is many times further away than the field earlier.

Her heartbeat increases immediately.  
Fareeha has never flown this high before.

Her wings start to flap more wildly as slight panic rises in her chest.  
Her claws try to hold onto something that isn’t there, making her feel even more uneasy.

“The most important thing is to never be scared”, she can hear in the back of her head.  
“Never surrender to your fear, because deep down you know you’re stronger”, her mother always used to say, “I have the strongest daughter anyone could have, I see it every day.”

Fareeha looks up at the sky.  
No matter where she finds herself, the sky always seems to be in the same distance. And no matter where she can see the sky, she can fly.  
Yes, she can fly. 

With a deep breath Fareeha stops moving her wings at all as she lets herself fall backwards, her eyes closed.  
“Never surrender to your fear”, she tells herself.

Fareeha always told herself that she was weak because she suffered from so many things she got herself into.  
She thought she was weak when she trusted the little bit of hope of finding her soulmate. She thought she was weak when she fell asleep in the dirt, her body beaten up from fists, mean words and hunger.  
She thought she was weak when all she wanted was to take the dullest knife and cut her wings off, no matter how long it would take or how painful it would be.

What she didn’t think about was how she beat it all.  
She beat being exploited by war, she beat living on the street, she beat dying.  
She will beat this too.

After a few moments she opens her eyes again.  
She can see the mountains of the valley underneath her, the trees, the whole beauty.  
In one swift movement Fareeha opens her wings widely, making her body turn in the right position again.  
The wind rushes past her face as the speed of her fall still pulls her down.

Fareeha grits her teeth, her muscles aching but not giving up. She can feel her own strength in every inch of her body.

Before Fareeha meets the first tips of the trees, she throws herself forward with one big stroke of her wings.  
She skillfully evades any trees that might be in her way, dodges any ledges of the mountains around her and starts to gain height again as the forest stops and a wide lake appears in front of her.

With slow but big movements her wings carry her back up into the sky, flying high enough to overlook the valley all around her.  
She is breathing heavily and her body is still shaking from the adrenaline, yet she has never felt this powerful before.

She hovers for a minute, looking at the horizon where the sun is slowly starting to set, turning the sky into a light orange.  
Her eyes are starting to water as the biggest grin grows on her face.

Throwing her hands into the air, she shouts as loud as she can, celebrating happily and letting out the biggest cheer of triumph she has ever experienced before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe everyone! Hope you enjoyed the more positive vibes :)


End file.
